As recently as five years ago, the advent of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube Premium sounded the death knell for multi-billion dollar businesses, altered the living-room habits of millions of people, and changed studio production structures permanently. The idea of a "Netflix for games" service has been floating around since long before video-streaming became a thing, but it hasn't found a solid foothold quite yet. NVIDIA, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Verizon and more major companies are making moves in this space, and they finally have the server dispersion and broadband support necessary to roll out their own Netflix-style services as early as this year.

The "Dogs of the Dow" is a simple but successful value investing strategy that many on Wall Street swear by. It's easy: At the beginning of the year, buy the 10 highest-yielding dividend stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Hold them for a year. Next year, rinse and repeat.
While this does result in higher-than-average income, the investment case really is a value one. The idea: A high dividend yield - in the kind of rock-solid blue-chip stocks the Dow tends to hold - implies that shares are oversold. Meanwhile, the continued payment of dividends shows that management remains confident in the company's earnings. Investors thus should profit both from an above-average yield, as well as an eventual recovery in share prices once Wall Street realizes its selling has gone too far.
How well does the strategy work? In 2018, the Dogs of the Dow lost just 1.5% on average versus a 5.6% decline for the Dow and a 6.2% drop for the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. The win marked the Dogs' fourth consecutive year of outperformance. And already in 2019, some Dogs are baring their fangs.
Here are the 10 dividend stocks that make up the Dogs of the Dow, listed in order of their dividend yields as of the start of 2019. We also list their current yields, which have shifted a bit in the first few days of this year's trading.
### SEE ALSO: The 25 Best S&P; 500 Stocks of the Past 50 Years

The Internet of Things is one of the tech sector's hottest growth markets. But do you know how to profit from IoT's growth potential? Check out these three stocks that could be poised for further IoT growth soon!

Tech Giants' Latest: Search, Social Media, and Digital Payments(Continued from Prior Part)Helping local newsrooms build sustainable businessesFacebook (FB) is committing $300 million to the support of local journalism projects over the next three

As the U.S. markets further stabilize, I consider three telecom stocks in particular to be good stocks to buy for a diversified portfolio: Vodafone (NASDAQ:VOD), Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T).
While analysts debate what is next for telecom stocks and whether a global recession is around the corner, I am in the cautiously optimistic bull camp for the coming months. Consider that Wall Street regards telecoms' revenues to be relatively safe during an economic slowdown, since not many people would give up their phone account in a slowdown, unless their personal economic situation got really bad.
But creating growth opportunities in a mature industry like telecommunication services still requires proactive management. And that's what sets these three telecom stocks apart from the rest. The upcoming 5G revolution should also be a strong catalyst for their stock prices.
InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips
* 7 Companies Apple Should Consider Buying
With that said, here's a deeper look into what makes these three telecoms standout stocks to buy for 2019 and beyond.
###
### Vodafone (VOD)
Source: Shutterstock
Vodafone, the global telecoms giant headquartered in London, currently offers a dividend yield of almost 9%. The high payout is in part due to the company's history of returning a big chunk of earnings to shareholders, but it is also due to the fall in VOD stock during 2018. After reaching a high of $32.75 in January 2018, Vodafone shares saw a low of $18.45 in October and investor sentiment remained weak throughout the year.
In recent years, Vodafone has pursued an ambitious acquisition strategy and invested in developing its network. Now VOD's management is working to integrate its various mergers and cut costs at the same time. The group aims to save over $1 billion in continental Europe alone. And that should help toward the double-digit profit growth VOD stock analysts are expecting from 2020 onwards.
Organic growth in many emerging markets, including the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, remains high, providing a tailwind in the near future. In 2018, fluctuating currency rates have meant the British pound has suffered considerably while the uncertainty over Brexit, the U.K.'s proposed exit from the European Union (E.U.), has taken some of the shine off the performance in these regions. However, 2019 will possibly see a different story, as the markets have already priced the Brexit worries into the share price. Markets are always forward looking and the U.K.-based stocks are likely to move away from this political discourse.
Vodafone's investment prospects are improving and I feel price of VOD stock now presents an attractive value as well as impressive total return potential, all of which are fueled by its high dividend yield. VOD stock may continue to be volatile, yet as a buy-and-hold investor, you would collect over 9% in dividend payments, beating returns on many other investments.
###
### Verizon Communications (VZ)
Source: Shutterstock
Over the past year, Verizon Communications, the largest wireless carrier in the U.S., is up almost 10%. The relatively strong recent performance of VZ stock has been based on its healthy fundamentals. Verizon's most recent financial results have benefited from cost savings measures as well as lower taxes -- two factors that have helped the VZ stock price.
In 2018, it covered about 300 million U.S. residents who showed "strong loyalty" toward the company. On the 5G front, where Verizon is aiming to be the leader, VZ's organic earnings growth is expected to materialize in 2020 onwards … after the full mobile 5G launch in 2019. The benefits of 5G will include much faster download speeds, more data capacity -- a must for the Internet of Things (IoT) devices -- and lower latency or very little lag in mobile applications, which should have a positive impact on the development of online gaming as well as self-driving cars.
In the 5G race and the battle for bandwith, global and city governments are beginning to auction off lucrative airwave rights. And Verizon is currently working with major U.S. cities to secure these rights. Verizon's loyal customers coupled with VZ management's planning will drive the 5G growth in the near future, too.
Finally, Verizon has a history of increasing dividends and its current dividend yield is over 4%. This is yet another important reason why I believe VZ stock belongs in a capital-growth portfolio. On Nov. 1, 2018, Verizon paid a quarterly common stock dividend of 60.25 cents per share; the next dividend payment is expected in early February.
* 10 Growth Stocks With the Future Written All Over Them
VZ stock has a strong story and a clean balance sheet with robust cash flows; thus, it remains on of the more appealing long-term growth stocks to buy on a fundamental basis.
###
### AT&T (T)
Source: Shutterstock
Amid all the recent market volatility, I regard AT&T as one of the key telecom stocks to buy for value and stability. Over the past few years, T stock has lagged behind the broader market overall; yet, the company has a strong brand and wireless infrastructure -- two factors that are likely to make it a dominant player in the 5G sphere.
The new 5G technology will boost productivity and growth globally. 5G will also be at the center of the infrastructure for building smart cities. Coupled with a price-to-earnings ratio of about 15x, T stock deserves further due diligence in the tech world that is getting ready for 5G dominance. In December 2018, AT&T launched its own 5G network in over a dozen U.S. cities.
In June 2018, a federal court approved the merger of AT&T's $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner -- a deal that has turned AT&T in a media giant. This merger has been weighing on AT&T for some time; however, 2019 should see the question marks slowly disappear. I expect the media business, including the HBO platform, to contribute to the earnings growth. The merger should also enable AT&T to increase its data-driven advertising revenues.
In addition to the company's strong earnings power through telecom and media-related operations, like VOD and VZ stock, T stock also offers a strong dividend yield at over 6%, which is a big attraction for many long-term investors seeking strong stocks to buy for 2019 and beyond.
As of this writing, Tezcan Gecgil did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
### More From InvestorPlace
* 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid
* 7 Companies Apple Should Consider Buying
* 7 Beaten-Up Housing Stocks Due for a Bounce Back
* Take Buffett's Advice: 5 Vanguard Funds to Buy
Compare Brokers
The post The 3 Best Telecom Stocks to Buy to Fortify Your Portfolio This Year appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Analysts’ Fourth-Quarter Expectations for Verizon(Continued from Prior Part)Verizon’s scale Verizon (VZ) was the largest US wireless carrier as of January 16, with a market capitalization of $235.9 billion. Meanwhile, AT&T’s (T), Sprint’s